Back in (the) Black: Gen Art

Back in (the) Black: Gen Art

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Published November 3, 2010

PHOTO BY MILES LADIN

“Six months can be a lifetime in New York,” Gen Art Founder Ian Gerard admits. It has been just that long since the arts organization, known for supporting and showcasing emerging talent, held an event as they wrestled with the recession and joined the least popular club in the country, entering chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. Now, with the help of The Gen Art Foundation and loyal big-name alumni like Edward Norton, Eva Amurri, and the designers behind Vena Cava, Gen Art is putting on what may be their final benefit.

The event, in true Gen Art fashion, will still feature the up-and-coming faces of the future including 5 promising photographers, leather-ware designer Jordan Betten of Lost Art and DJ Reach, but the heart of the benefit is for professionals from their not-so-distant past. Owing money to designers and filmmakers involved in more recent Gen Art affairs including award winners from the 15 Anniversary Gen Art Film Festival, weighed heavily on Gerard, “even though it was a very small part of our liabilities, it was probably the most painful part because it was totally against everything we had worked for the last 15 years.” Intent on giving talent its due, Gen Art has bred some of the big screen’s best including instant-luminary Rooney Mara, winner of their Stargazer Award at the film festival, pre-Social Network.

Upon resale, depending on who acquires the company and hoping that their mission parallels what it’s been so far, Gen Art hopes to re-launch and continue bringing arts and entertainment to the young creative community. On the influence of the underage, Gerard offered, “I think they do care, I just think they’re often blocked out from the established artistic worlds. There’s lots of people out there that have an interest, there just needs to be something they find that’s spoken to them,” and if it isn’t film, art, fashion or music then perhaps at least a party.

TICKETS FOR THE NOV 4 GEN ART RESURRECTION BENEFIT HELD AT GOOD UNITS @ THE HUDSON HOTEL AVAILABLE HERE.